Impact of preoperative locoregional therapy on recurrence and patient survival following liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the impact of preoperative locoregional therapy on recurrence and patient survival following liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: We searched medical literature databases to identify appropriate studies assessing the impact of preoperative locoregional therapy on recurrence and patient survival following liver transplantation from January 1962 to April 2014. Study inclusion criteria were the existence of a control group, a sufficiently long follow-up period and reporting of survival outcomes. We then performed a meta-analysis of these studies.

Results: Our search identified 12 studies from among a possible 1105. A total of 1504 patients were included in our analysis. There was no significant heterogeneity among the studies. In the meta-analysis, preoperative locoregional therapy was not statistically significant in affecting five-year survival rates following liver transplantation (hazard ratio HR]?=?1.06; 95% confidence interval CI]?=?0.82–1.38). For patients meeting the Milan criteria, preoperative locoregional therapy did not affect survival rates following liver transplantation (HR =1.04, 95% CI =0.74–1.45). The recurrence-free survival rate also had no association with preoperative locoregional therapy (HR =1.02, 95% CI =0.70–1.50).

Conclusion: Our meta-analysis suggests that preoperative locoregional therapy has no impact on survival following liver transplantation for HCC.